There are no positive COVID-19 cases in the Snowy Monaro local area at this time.

The Snowy Monaro have a new sewage surveillance detection with fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 detected at the Jindabyne sewage treatment within the last 48 hours. This is in addition to recent fragment detections in the Cooma sewage and last week in the Thredbo sewage.

The Deputy Premier John Barilaro said he is concerned with the new Jindabyne detection and also Bega and Cooma in the Southern NSW Local Health District.

The advice from the health department is for anyone in these areas to get tested, especially if they have any symptoms.

Testing facilities are available at Jindabyne and Cooma (see below), with Mr Barilaro saying the testing site in Jindabyne is sufficient even considering the recent detection. If the health department do request more facilities, they will be added.

“I've got information back from Southern Health, it's not being inundated so that facility seems to be coping with people coming through,” said Mr Barilaro.

“Again to the community, it’s a callout about getting tested.”

“If there was a surge there in test numbers and we need additional resources, we absolutely have the ability to move resources throughout southern New South Wales.”

Do Sewage Detections Result In Positive COVID-19 Cases

While it is concerning for the community, not all sewage detections evolve into COVID-19 cases. During winter 2020 there was detections in Perisher sewage which did not eventuate into a case in our area.

When asked about the outcome of other areas who have had recent detections, Mr Barilaro said they do not always eventuate into COVID-19 cases.

“Sewage detection or surveillance has been a very important tool. I made a comment yesterday that Dr. Kerry Chant's view is that because you've got a high number of cases in different parts of the state, and there is movement, that it can mean that we’ll not get the same sort of strike rate from sewage surveillance as we did previously, because of the high number of cases.”

“So the reality is you can get these fragments in sewage detection and never have a case in a community, it could be someone passing through, someone who’s had it previously, that is now shredding.

“We've now got over the last month I would say number of sewage detections where they've been positive and we've never ended up with a case. So again, in the Monaro that seems to be what's occurring, no cases coming forward.

“You've got to put into context, it's been seven, eight, nine days in some cases since the first test and sewage, and we know that by day three or four you'll start seeing symptoms, so if there was someone that was infectious, they'd be unwell, and they would be coming forward.

“It's most likely someone passing through, it's been picked up somewhere else, most likely for us could be the Canberra region, but it could be in Sydney, and it could be a freight worker.

“So, it's good news that you haven't got a case, but now we're just going to remain alert.”

Testing facilities

Testing facilities available in the following locations in Cooma and Jindabyne.

Jindabyne HealthOne (carpark)

5 Thredbo Terrace, Open 7 days

9am – 3pm Monday – Sunday

Cooma Hospital 

Bent St, Open 7 days

Drive thru clinic – Enter off Victoria St

8am – 4pm Monday - Sunday

Cooma Pop Up Clinic

Cooma Showground on Cromwell St

Drive through Open 7 days

8am – 4pm Monday – Sunday

Get Vaccinated

Vaccinations are being delivered in Southern NSW Health LHD at South East Regional Hospital, Bega, and at mobile clinics at Queanbeyan, Jindabyne and Goulburn. More sites may become available soon.

For more information visit Southern NSW Local Health District